Janice Avery
Janice Avery is an antagonist from the 1977 children's novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and its 2007 live action film adaptation of the same name. She is a slightly fat 7th grader (8th grader in the film) who bullies younger children at school. She was portrayed by Bridget Ryan in the 1985 film, and Lauren Clinton in the 2007 version. Biography Janice and her two friends, Wilma and Bobby Sue, go to the same school as Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke. The trio commonly bully younger students, for example Jesse whose is teased for being poor, and Janice even throws her sandwich on him in the school bus. During break time, the girls usually stand in front of the girl's restroom and put a fee on entering. Janice also secretly smokes there. Frustrated from being bullied, Leslie once sits on the back seat where only older students sit however. Jesse sees Janice and her friends coming, so he rushes to his friend to help her. Janice tells them to get out, causing Jesse to thoughtlessly insult the bully for her obesity. As a revenge, Janice later pretends to be tripped by Jesse in the school bus, leading the driver to order Jesse to walk home as a punishment. When Janice steals Twinkies from Jesse's younger sister May Belle, Leslie decides to stop the bully. At first, she gets a group of younger children and they head to the restroom, shouting "Free to Pee!" However, the older girls only laugh at them. Jesse and Leslie then decide to make a prank on Janice. They write a love letter "from Willard Hughes", the object of her affection, who "wants to see her after school", and Jesse then hides the letter in Janice's notebook. Next day, Janice really waits for Willard after school, but he doesn't appear. In the movie, she speaks to him in front of all his friends, much to his surprise. When Janice finally realizes the letter was fake, all students who see it laugh at her. Jesse and Leslie feel good due their victory until they hear sobbing Janice in the girls' restroom. Leslie comes in to talk with the bully and discovers she is abused by her sadistic father. Leslie advises her to pretend she has no idea what the other girls are talking about, and students soon forget about it. Since then, Leslie develops sympathy and a friendship with the miserable bully. The main reason for Janice's crying is different in the book and the movie. In the novel, Janice tells her friends about abusing, but the girls then blab about it and everybody at school knows. In the movie, the police is recently called to Janice's house and now the whole 7th and 8th grade know she is beaten at home, so they ostracize her. After this, Janice stops being a bully and becomes an outsider and a nice friend of Leslie. In the movie, she even beats up Gary after seeing him shove Jesse in the hallway. Quotes Trivia *At the end of the movie, there is a giant troll with Janice's face seen. *The connection between Janice and the troll is given a subtle forshadowing when Leslie first talks to Janice, she compares her batroom tolls to the story of troll bridges. *The troll based on Janice is also similar to how the Dark Master's other minions are based off of Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher. Navigation Category:Female Category:Tragic Category:Book Villains Category:Movie Villains Category:Live Action Villains Category:Teenagers Category:Friend of a Hero Category:Leader Category:Thief Category:Vengeful Category:In Love Category:Nemesis Category:Hypocrites Category:Juvenile Delinquents Category:Chaotic Neutral Category:Provoker Category:Mischievous Category:Arrogant Category:Liars Category:Redeemed Category:Incriminators Category:Insecure Category:Corrupting Influence Category:Abusers